One Last Goodbye
by Miss Kristin of the Shire
Summary: As requested, Sam's feelings as Frodo departs for the Grey Havens, similar in form to my previous poem, *UPDATE* Frodo's POV now added
1. Sam's POV

One Last Good-bye  
  
  
  
(a/n: I just wanted to say thank you soooo much to those of you who reviewed my last lil   
attempt at LotR poetry, aka "Goodbye, Master, my dear"... It really encouraged me to   
keep writing, especially since I don't consider myself to be much of a "poet". That said,   
enjoy!!)  
  
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Suddenly it all seeps in  
But why, master?  
How I longed to keep you near  
  
Always and forever  
  
So am I now fated to keep you  
Only in my heart?  
  
And suddenly, I see it,  
And may there forever be an enmity between It and me  
  
The Sea  
  
A power I cannot endure,  
A power I cannot save my master from  
And it will bear him away  
Away from all hope, from all reassurance  
away from the Shire  
  
Away from his Sam  
  
I am torn up inside  
I promised never to leave his side  
  
But how can I go?  
  
Not leave without dear Rose  
and sweet Elanor?  
  
But how can I stay?  
  
Without cursing every moment I am away from him  
Without worrying for him, thinking about him constantly  
Wishing I could hold him close  
  
One last time  
  
And yet he tells me to be one and whole  
How, master?  
I can't do it without you  
  
I need you, Mr. Frodo  
  
But still, your heart is set  
I can see it in your eyes  
  
Worse than any wound I ever could receive  
  
I ride beside you for the final time,   
avoiding your gaze  
  
So you can't see the tears running down my face  
  
My vision becomes blurred,   
but I make out the shape of a looming gate  
And a great white ship bobbing gently on the water  
  
The ship that will take you away from your Sam  
  
I want to cry out,  
Take you by the hand and fall to my knees  
And beg you to stay here with me  
  
But I know it would be in vain  
  
My senses become paralyzed  
There's so much I want to tell you  
  
Tell you how deeply you will be missed  
How each moment you're gone will make my heart grieve all the more  
To profess my unconditional love for you  
  
To simply say good-bye  
  
But I cannot find the words  
  
Or maybe we do not need words  
Perhaps there is some unseen understanding  
Maybe you know, somehow, what I meant to say  
  
And I pray you understand how very much I care for you  
  
I stand, rooted to the spot, my senses at a loss  
Until I feel a tingling sensation on my forehead  
Where my master kisses me farewell  
  
Then I watch as he climbs aboard,  
And I look upon him one last time  
  
Then the ship slips away,  
My world comes crashing down  
  
I feel weak  
  
Weak like I have never felt before  
  
I stand in silence,  
Save for the haughty waves,  
mocking me in my sorrow  
  
My tears flow incessantly  
but still I feel numb  
  
And then, like a beacon of hope,  
I catch one last fleeting glimpse of the star-glass,  
And the meaning of my master's words suddenly take form  
  
Yes, I must fulfill his last wish,  
To keep alive his memory for as long as I shall live,  
and the memory of all those who fought alongside us  
  
And I need not be all alone,  
I still have precious Rose, and Elanor and a family to think about  
And after that, we shall see  
  
The time has finally come  
  
No looking back  
  
Then a warmness returns to heart and limb,  
Gently, I place a hand over the Red Book,  
  
A smile plays upon my face  
  
"Farewell, Mr. Frodo,  
Till we meet again..." 


	2. Frodo's POV

Finally, the time has come  
  
Often I wondered if I ever would have the heart to leave  
But now, the choice seems plain  
  
It's time for me to let go  
  
But it is so very hard  
And often I worry,  
Not about my own well-being  
  
I worry for Sam  
  
Poor, dear Sam  
  
For I want him to live in happiness,  
to live a full life, to be rid of his torn feelings  
  
And he cannot do so as long as I stay  
  
I look him in the eyes,  
and I say my last words to him  
Please, do not cry, Sam  
  
You must understand  
  
We ride forth together  
One last time  
And already I can see it,  
That which has plagued my dreams  
And beckoned me with its irresistible call  
  
The Sea  
  
And to my surprise,  
I find silent tears trickling down my face  
  
But no, it cannot be so,  
I hastily wipe them away  
  
I must be strong  
  
For Sam's sake  
  
Then the gates come into view,  
The ship rocks lazily on the tide  
And so many thoughts run rampant in my mind  
  
I think of all the days I awoke to his cheerful call,  
I think of the wonder in his eyes when he beheld the Elves  
  
Then I think of Mordor,  
But I cannot begin to understand his grief, I think,  
when he took me for dead  
  
And I remember the great sense of bliss and comfort I felt,  
When he cradled me in his arms  
Upon finding me once again  
  
And then I wonder if Sam really knew how I felt  
I realize I never truly came out and said it,  
  
I never got to tell him that I love him  
  
But maybe he did not need to hear it,  
For we seem to have this extraordinary capability  
To read each other's eyes, and thoughts  
  
To read each other's hearts  
  
And so, I say no more words to him,  
But kiss him gingerly on the forehead,  
  
My final affirmation for my feelings for him  
  
Then, I take the most reluctant steps  
I have ever taken in my life  
I turn to climb the vast white ship  
  
I am borne across the great expanse of the Sea,  
But always my eyes remain fixated on Sam  
  
And just as he becomes naught more than a speck,  
I hold aloft the Phial,  
And a faint glow seems to glimmer all around him  
  
Then he passes out of sight  
  
But suddenly, my heart is lifted  
The sound of voices, beautiful beyond words,  
fills all the air and soothes the soul  
  
I close my eyes as I breathe in the sweetness of the air  
And sigh in contentment  
  
Everything will be all right  
  
"Farewell, my faithful Sam  
Till we meet again..." 


End file.
